As the last international window for women’s football in 2025 opens today, Nigeria’s Super Falcons risk missing a vital chance to prepare ahead of next year’s WAFCON in Morocco.
The 10-time African champions are yet to confirm any friendly matches, as the Nigeria Football Federation works frantically to organise fixtures.
The international break runs from Monday, November 24, to Tuesday, December 2, allowing national teams to play at least two matches.
While countries such as Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, and South Africa have already scheduled friendlies, the Super Falcons are still searching for opponents. Ghana, for instance, is set to face England on December 2.
When asked if the Super Falcons would play any games during this window, the NFF President said, “We are checking.”
According to The Punch, sources revealed that a proposed friendly fell through after the opposing national association withdrew, despite previously agreeing to the match.
Reports say the decision came from the opposing team’s coach, who preferred to face what he considered a “lesser opponent” instead of the reigning African champions.
The Falcons’ next major challenge is defending their WAFCON title in Morocco next year. They booked their spot in the tournament with a 3-1 aggregate victory over the Benin Republic in October.
Although CAF has not yet announced official dates for the 2026 WAFCON, the tournament is expected to serve as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Missing this international window could leave the Falcons without a proper chance to regroup until the next break.
Beyond their unbeaten run at WAFCON in July, the Super Falcons have played only three other matches in 2025. As of August, they remain Africa’s top-ranked team and 36th in the world. FIFA will release the next ranking on December 11.
At the end of 2024, NFF President Gusau said the era of poor preparations for Nigerian teams is over.
“The era of Nigerian teams arriving at major championships just to participate is gone. Our objective now is to ensure that our teams can strongly contend for honours anywhere, and that can only be done by preparing the teams well ahead of qualifiers and competitions,” he said.
